South Sudan president claims to have defeated military coup

Eurasia News

JUBA: An attempt by a group of disgruntled soldiers and politicians led by a former deputy president Riek Machar to overthrow the Sudan government had been defeated, the South Sudanese President Salva Kiir said on Monday.

In a statement the president said he had defeated the attempted coup following a night of fighting in the capital Juba, adding that the government was now in full control of the security situation in Juba.

The president said he strongly condemned these criminal actions and would not allow or tolerate such incidents once again in a country that won its independence in 2011.

Moreover, the president declared an overnight curfew in Juba effective from Monday night. It will run each night from 6pm to 6am.